Americans who wait until age 70 to claim Social Security can significantly increase their monthly retirement income, although the exact amount depends on their lifetime earnings and work history.
The average monthly benefit for a 70-year-old who delayed claiming and earned delayed retirement credits was about $3,031.98, based on Social Security Administration data cited by SmartAsset. After applying subsequent cost of living adjustments, that figure was estimated at around $3,107.78 for 2025.
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That doesn’t mean everyone who claims at 70 will receive the same amount. Social Security calculates benefits using a worker’s highest 35 years of earnings, so higher-earning workers can receive substantially more.
Why claiming Social Security at 70 increases your check
Workers who delay claiming beyond full retirement age receive delayed retirement credits that generally increase their benefit by 8% for every year they wait.
Someone whose full retirement age is 67 can therefore receive approximately 124% of their full retirement benefit by waiting until 70.
That increase is permanent and will also be reflected in future cost of living adjustments.
However, there’s no financial advantage to delaying beyond 70 because delayed retirement credits stop accumulating at that point. Social Security also doesn’t automatically begin sending retirement payments when someone reaches 70, so most people still need to apply.
What other advantages come with claiming at 70?
One important benefit is that working after full retirement age won’t reduce Social Security payments through the retirement earnings test.
Continuing to work can even increase future checks if new earnings replace a lower-earning year among the 35 years Social Security uses to calculate benefits.
Claiming at 70 may also produce a larger survivor benefit for a spouse because delayed retirement credits can increase the amount available to an eligible surviving husband or wife.
There are tax considerations, however. Social Security benefits can still be federally taxable at age 70 depending on overall income, and Medicare premiums are generally deducted directly from Social Security payments.
Anyone delaying until 70 should also remember that waiting longer won’t increase the monthly benefit further.
In certain circumstances Social Security can provide up to six months of retroactive benefits, but delaying too long beyond age 70 can mean permanently giving up payments that could otherwise have been collected.
For retirees able to afford the wait, age 70 therefore represents the point at which Social Security’s delayed retirement incentives reach their maximum.
